Fran Fraschilla says which player he would like to have coached

ronm

ronm

Well-known member
Name a player you would have loved to coach back in the day.

Dan Dakich: "As an assistant at Indiana, I would have loved to coach Brian Cardinal, who ended up playing in the NBA. He by all accounts wanted to come, but our other assistant coach kind of passed on him. I loved the kid. At Bowling Green, there was a kid named Joe Reitz. Joe ended up playing in the NFL for about six or seven years, but he played basketball at Western Michigan in college, not football. He was a really tough, really great guy."

Fran Fraschilla: "Duke's Elton Brand. When I was at St. John's, I recruited off one of the greatest AAU summer teams of all time: Riverside Church. It was a legendary basketball program in the '70s, '80s, '90s that had produced the likes of Chris Mullin and Malik Sealy. Elton played on a team that included Ron Artest, Erick Barkley, Reggie Jesse and Anthony Glover. This made up one of the best summer teams of all time. I was able to convince four of those guys to sign at St. John's ... but Elton was the hardest one. He enjoyed playing with his summer league teammates, but for me, battling Coach K and the Duke mystique was no easy task. It was daunting driving up to Peekskill (New York) to convince Mrs. Brand that St. John's was the better college destination than the hallowed grounds of Duke University. He let me down easy. As it turned out, he's one of Duke's all-time great players, had a long NBA career and is now off to a terrific start as an NBA executive, as general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers."

Seth Greenberg: "Tyshawn Taylor, who ended up at Kansas, is a kid that we identified early. He would have been terrific in the backcourt, back in the lane. He was at St. Anthony High School, playing for Hall of Fame coach Bobby Hurley Sr. I saw him at a spring event and just fell in love. Once a week in Jersey City, where he was playing off the beaten path in a Jersey City league, I'd sit there with Coach Hurley and watch him play. I developed a really close relationship with him. We were so close that when his dad passed away during the course of recruitment, I still remember getting a phone call from him while I was sitting in Lane Stadium watching a football game. Out of the blue, he gives me a call and just needed to talk. So I got up, walked to my office, and for the next hour, we talked. He just needed someone to talk to. I remember coming back in the fourth quarter, and my assistant coach said, 'Coach, there's no way we're not getting that kid. That kid believes in you and trusts you.' And sure enough, we lost him. Which, you know, was obviously tough, but those things happen."
 
May have won a natty if you add Elton Brand to the team that came within a basket of the Final 4 and was killed by the center of ohio st ken johnson.
 
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[quote="bamafan" post=317010]May have won a natty if you add Elton Brand to the team that came within a basket of the Final 4 and was killed by the center of ohio st ken johnson.[/quote]

Artest killed us in first half
 
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[quote="Beast of the East" post=317031][quote="bamafan" post=317010]May have won a natty if you add Elton Brand to the team that came within a basket of the Final 4 and was killed by the center of ohio st ken johnson.[/quote]

Arrest killed us in first half[/quote]

Who got arrested in the first half?:p
 
[quote="ron " post=317001]Name a player you would have loved to coach back in the day.

Dan Dakich: "As an assistant at Indiana, I would have loved to coach Brian Cardinal, who ended up playing in the NBA. He by all accounts wanted to come, but our other assistant coach kind of passed on him. I loved the kid. At Bowling Green, there was a kid named Joe Reitz. Joe ended up playing in the NFL for about six or seven years, but he played basketball at Western Michigan in college, not football. He was a really tough, really great guy."

Fran Fraschilla: "Duke's Elton Brand. When I was at St. John's, I recruited off one of the greatest AAU summer teams of all time: Riverside Church. It was a legendary basketball program in the '70s, '80s, '90s that had produced the likes of Chris Mullin and Malik Sealy. Elton played on a team that included Ron Artest, Erick Barkley, Reggie Jesse and Anthony Glover. This made up one of the best summer teams of all time. I was able to convince four of those guys to sign at St. John's ... but Elton was the hardest one. He enjoyed playing with his summer league teammates, but for me, battling Coach K and the Duke mystique was no easy task. It was daunting driving up to Peekskill (New York) to convince Mrs. Brand that St. John's was the better college destination than the hallowed grounds of Duke University. He let me down easy. As it turned out, he's one of Duke's all-time great players, had a long NBA career and is now off to a terrific start as an NBA executive, as general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers."

Seth Greenberg: "Tyshawn Taylor, who ended up at Kansas, is a kid that we identified early. He would have been terrific in the backcourt, back in the lane. He was at St. Anthony High School, playing for Hall of Fame coach Bobby Hurley Sr. I saw him at a spring event and just fell in love. Once a week in Jersey City, where he was playing off the beaten path in a Jersey City league, I'd sit there with Coach Hurley and watch him play. I developed a really close relationship with him. We were so close that when his dad passed away during the course of recruitment, I still remember getting a phone call from him while I was sitting in Lane Stadium watching a football game. Out of the blue, he gives me a call and just needed to talk. So I got up, walked to my office, and for the next hour, we talked. He just needed someone to talk to. I remember coming back in the fourth quarter, and my assistant coach said, 'Coach, there's no way we're not getting that kid. That kid believes in you and trusts you.' And sure enough, we lost him. Which, you know, was obviously tough, but those things happen."[/quote]

Pretty amazing job by Fran, or a little luck in getting 4 of Riverside's best players. Fran is taking 100% credit here. Does anyone remember which two assistants were his recruiters?
 
[quote="Beast of the East" post=317037]
Pretty amazing job by Fran, or a little luck in getting 4 of Riverside's best players. Fran is taking 100% credit here. Does anyone remember which two assistants were his recruiters?[/quote]

Ron Rutledge and Darren Savino.

https://gobearcats.com/staff.aspx?staff=155
 
[quote="Class of 72" post=317034][quote="Beast of the East" post=317031][quote="bamafan" post=317010]May have won a natty if you add Elton Brand to the team that came within a basket of the Final 4 and was killed by the center of ohio st ken johnson.[/quote]

Arrest killed us in first half[/quote]

Who got arrested in the first half?:p[/quote]

Didn’t Barkley and Bootsy get into a physical altercation at halftime of the Big East semis the following year? I recall reading that Barkley went awol after that game and there was talk that he wouldn’t return for the finals.

Speaking of Duke, I had the good fortune of going to the game down in Cameron that year where SJU pulled off an incredible upset. At the time, there were a lot of rumors about Barkley taking improper benefits and talk of suspension, which subsequently prompted Jarvis’s inappropriate comment that he felt like he had been raped. In any event, there was a rally the night before the game and Coach K spoke. I remember him telling the crowd that he would not tolerate any insults or chants against Barkley and that anybody who engaged in such conduct was not a true Duke fan. I thought it was a classy move. The game was one of the greatest experiences of my basketball life.
 
[quote="Beast of the East" post=317031][quote="bamafan" post=317010]May have won a natty if you add Elton Brand to the team that came within a basket of the Final 4 and was killed by the center of ohio st ken johnson.[/quote]

Artest killed us in first half[/quote]
Yup guess we would have been better off not signing him. JK I agree RA picked a bad time to have a bad game he kept turning it over and missing shots he almost always made which is why some were a little suspicious (probably just the gambling crowd).
 
[quote="bamafan" post=317098][quote="Beast of the East" post=317031][quote="bamafan" post=317010]May have won a natty if you add Elton Brand to the team that came within a basket of the Final 4 and was killed by the center of ohio st ken johnson.[/quote]

Artest killed us in first half[/quote]
Yup guess we would have been better off not signing him. JK I agree RA picked a bad time to have a bad game he kept turning it over and missing shots he almost always made which is why some were a little suspicious (probably just the gambling crowd).[/quote]

I just remember him playing in a fog and even hoisting an airball or where he had to have missed the rim by 5 feet. HE actually looked drugged, and considering Ron's medical issues, could have been the case, or maybe just a horrible case of the jitters. He was much better in the second half when we mounted our comeback.
 
[quote="Boo Harvey" post=317045][quote="Class of 72" post=317034][quote="Beast of the East" post=317031][quote="bamafan" post=317010]May have won a natty if you add Elton Brand to the team that came within a basket of the Final 4 and was killed by the center of ohio st ken johnson.[/quote]

Arrest killed us in first half[/quote]

Who got arrested in the first half?:p[/quote]

Didn’t Barkley and Bootsy get into a physical altercation at halftime of the Big East semis the following year? I recall reading that Barkley went awol after that game and there was talk that he wouldn’t return for the finals.

Speaking of Duke, I had the good fortune of going to the game down in Cameron that year where SJU pulled off an incredible upset. At the time, there were a lot of rumors about Barkley taking improper benefits and talk of suspension, which subsequently prompted Jarvis’s inappropriate comment that he felt like he had been raped. In any event, there was a rally the night before the game and Coach K spoke. I remember him telling the crowd that he would not tolerate any insults or chants against Barkley and that anybody who engaged in such conduct was not a true Duke fan. I thought it was a classy move. The game was one of the greatest experiences of my basketball life.[/quote]... I think Reggie Jessie was also on that team with Barkley , Artest, Glover, at Riverside . Anthony had to sit a Year as a non qualifier . Barkley , Artest and Jessie always had dialogue on the Court . I remember Artest complaining he wasn’t getting the Ball enough and Barkley told him to “ Shut Up” Jessie also got dialogue too. Until Simon these last 2 years , Reggie was on my list of All Time Bunny Missers . Lamont Hamilton too . Heron is making a effort too . I hope he falls short and begins scoring , instead of missing at the Rim .
 
[quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=317129][quote="Boo Harvey" post=317045][quote="Class of 72" post=317034][quote="Beast of the East" post=317031][quote="bamafan" post=317010]May have won a natty if you add Elton Brand to the team that came within a basket of the Final 4 and was killed by the center of ohio st ken johnson.[/quote]

Arrest killed us in first half[/quote]

Who got arrested in the first half?:p[/quote]

Didn’t Barkley and Bootsy get into a physical altercation at halftime of the Big East semis the following year? I recall reading that Barkley went awol after that game and there was talk that he wouldn’t return for the finals.

Speaking of Duke, I had the good fortune of going to the game down in Cameron that year where SJU pulled off an incredible upset. At the time, there were a lot of rumors about Barkley taking improper benefits and talk of suspension, which subsequently prompted Jarvis’s inappropriate comment that he felt like he had been raped. In any event, there was a rally the night before the game and Coach K spoke. I remember him telling the crowd that he would not tolerate any insults or chants against Barkley and that anybody who engaged in such conduct was not a true Duke fan. I thought it was a classy move. The game was one of the greatest experiences of my basketball life.[/quote]... I think Reggie Jessie was also on that team with Barkley , Artest, Glover, at Riverside . Anthony had to sit a Year as a non qualifier . Barkley , Artest and Jessie always had dialogue on the Court . I remember Artest complaining he wasn’t getting the Ball enough and Barkley told him to “ Shut Up” Jessie also got dialogue too. Until Simon these last 2 years , Reggie was on my list of All Time Bunny Missers . Lamont Hamilton too . Heron is making a effort too . I hope he falls short and begins scoring , instead of missing at the Rim .[/quote]

Ah, the misery of us fans, gnashing & gritting our teeth at 'easy' misses most of us couldn't make in an empty gym!
Commiserating, Sly. I do that all the time!
Lol.
 
[quote="gonzalo" post=317044][quote="Beast of the East" post=317037]
Pretty amazing job by Fran, or a little luck in getting 4 of Riverside's best players. Fran is taking 100% credit here. Does anyone remember which two assistants were his recruiters?[/quote]

Ron Rutledge and Darren Savino.

https://gobearcats.com/staff.aspx?staff=155[/quote]

I always heard Artest was headed to Miami until RR got in there very late -- like last-minute late -- and reeled him in.
 
[quote="L J S A" post=317162][quote="gonzalo" post=317044][quote="Beast of the East" post=317037]
Pretty amazing job by Fran, or a little luck in getting 4 of Riverside's best players. Fran is taking 100% credit here. Does anyone remember which two assistants were his recruiters?[/quote]

Ron Rutledge and Darren Savino.

https://gobearcats.com/staff.aspx?staff=155[/quote]

I always heard Artest was headed to Miami until RR got in there very late -- like last-minute late -- and reeled him in.[/quote]

I know Berry was headed to Nova till RR interceded. Thanks for the info on RR and Artest. Fran's version made it sound like it was all Fran.
 
[quote="L J S A" post=317162][quote="gonzalo" post=317044][quote="Beast of the East" post=317037]
Pretty amazing job by Fran, or a little luck in getting 4 of Riverside's best players. Fran is taking 100% credit here. Does anyone remember which two assistants were his recruiters?[/quote]

Ron Rutledge and Darren Savino.

https://gobearcats.com/staff.aspx?staff=155[/quote]

I always heard Artest was headed to Miami until RR got in there very late -- like last-minute late -- and reeled him in.[/quote]
Quite true
 
Riverside was like a farm club for SJU basketball over the years and steered a lot of players our way
 
artest was headed to Miami.
then he was seen in an Astoria diner with a Miami coach during a dead period.
the ncaa ruled that ron ron could sign with anyone except for Miami.
 
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